Greenwash: the practice of companies disingenuously spinning their products and policies as environmentally friendly, such as by presenting cost cuts as reductions in use of resources. It is a deceptive use of green PR or green marketing. (Taken from the Wikipedia entry.)
I got a letter in the mail from my mom the other day that included a Mother’s Day card for me to plant. To plant? Yes!
Made from 100% recycled paper and printed with soy ink, this card has wildflower seeds embedded in its fibers. Its final resting place will be my garden next spring. Except that it won’t be final, because the flowers will become a part of my garden, continuing on indefinitely.
This card made me think about the sponges I bought the other day. “All natural,” environmentally friendly sponges, made out plant fiber and recycled paper with biodegradable packaging. I felt silly buying them, because it seemed like I was being had. And they were more expensive. But I figured that even if they weren’t all they claimed to be, at least they weren’t wrapped in plastic.
Are You Being Greenwashed?
Maybe. Sometimes it’s hard to tell. It can take a bunch of research about companies, their practices, and specific products, which is usually more than I am willing to do for a sponge or a Mother’s Day card. But it’s important to understand that greenwashing is going on, and that not all “eco-friendly” tips and products are actually all that they are advertised to be.
That being said, I think greenwashing has the potential to help us move towards better standards for our companies and for ourselves. Wouldn’t it be great if consumer pressure could encourage all companies to “greenwash” their way towards biodegradable and recycled packaging?
A Factoid
If every household in the United States replaced one roll of regular paper towels with 100% recycled paper towels, we’d save 544,000 trees. That is a lot of trees. (This factoid courtesy of Intercon Solutions.)
Moving Towards Better Standards
Once again, I seem to be back on the idea that small changes can and do matter, especially when they are embraced by a large amount of people. Every time you choose to purchase recycled paper towels or “eco-friendly sponges,” that one product makes a tiny difference. But, more importantly, you send a signal to the company with your purchasing power about your consumer priorities. And, as strange as it seems, by choosing to purchase greenwashed products, we may actually be nudging companies towards making more meaningful changes in their product lines and practices.
That doesn’t mean that we can just buy recycled paper towels and organic cotton underwear and call it done. We have too far to go for that to be the case. But the little changes are important because, when paired with a far-reaching and ambitious vision of the big picture, consumption habits are our first (and most easily utilized) tool as we strive to build a sustainable future.
